THE new Weymouth Sea Festival is among the highlights of the bank holiday weekend in Weymouth and Portland.

The Trawler Race and Waterfest have been merged to form the new extravaganza on Weymouth harbourside taking place tomorrow and Monday.

It also coincides with the annual Oyster Festival and a host of other events over the weekend, including the Egdon Easy run, gig-racing and a vintage car rally.

Trawler Race committee chairman and event organiser Peter Targett said: "This year's Weymouth Sea Festival is building on the great successes of the Trawler Race and Waterfest, being run over two days and boasting many new features and events.

"With an overall feel of a water carnival this event promises to be one of the great highlights of Weymouth's festival season."

The sea festival activities will start at 9am tomorrow. Proceeds are in aid of the MV Freedom boat, Weymouth lifeboat, canoe lifeguards and Weymouth rowing club.

Sunday is a more of a sedate day with the theme of 'flavour of the sea' while Trawler Race on Monday includes races between fishing boats and trawlers as well as entertainment and stalls.

The two-day festival will also include entertainment, stalls, a birdman competition, tug of war, raft race, diving displays and lifeboat demonstrations.

The Whitsun Bank Holiday will also feature a series of other events.

There will be a continental market on the Weymouth Pavilion forecourt until Monday.

The Egdon Easy run will be held at the Lodmoor Country Park and Preston from 7pm onwards today.

There will be a vintage and classic car rally and display with a D-Day theme on the seafront tomorrow. It is being held by the Weymouth Vehicle Preservation Society. The rally will leave the Jubilee Clock at 9am and return at 2pm.

There will be a gig racing regatta tomorrow from noon to 6pm with a dozen boats and 400 rowers in Newton's Cove.

The Oyster Festival is being held from today until Monday in Hope Square and the harbourside.

It is being held from 11am to 4pm each day. It will include music, stalls, a farmers' market and oysters.

On Bank Holiday Monday there will be a ceremony at the American War Memorial on Weymouth seafront at 11am. It is in memory of the Americans who served and died in World War Two, including many who left on D-Day from Weymouth and Portland.